Public hearing on expansion of Okhla WTE next month

The public hearing for environmental clearance for expansion of the Okhla waste-to-energy plant will be conducted next month, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has said.

Residents of Sukhdev Vihar in southeast Delhi had earlier written to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, opposing the proposal for the expansion of the WTE plant situated in the middle of residential areas.

The residents have been fighting a legal battle for more than 12 years, demanding the closure or shifting of the plant from their backyards.

The LG had last month directed officials to increase the garbage consumption at the plant by another 1,000 metric tonnes which would also result in an additional 17 MW of power production.

The Sukhdev Vihar Residents Welfare Association said the Union Environment Ministry has capped the garbage consumption at the plant at 1,950 metric tonnes and the power generation at 23 megawatts.

It said the ministry has issued an order against ''any further expansion (beyond 23 MW power generation capacity) at the same site considering the proximity of Sukhdev Vihar residential colony''.

The issue concerning the location of the Okhla WTE is pending before the Supreme Court. Last year, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee fined the plant for excess emission of dioxins, furans, and PM2.5.

''The proposed expansion of the project is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for tackling the municipal solid waste problem of Delhi,'' the draft EIA report read. It said the project has been recommended by the Supreme Court, Delhi LG, and Central Empowered Committee.

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